Spoilers: Sometime in early season five – or possibly late six BtVS. Warnings: M/M – if you don't like boys together, don't play here!
Disclaimer: Don't own the characters nor make any money from stories etc, and bow down to their original creators Joss, et al., plus all the wonderful online writers who continue to give the Buffy/Angel verse characters life.
Part 14
The time since the discovery of Spike's immunity – or rather need for the sun, had been blissful for the two lovers. Their lovemaking had involved sunshine four times in the last week alone, and Spike's color was definitely changing as sunlight and the infusion of chlorophyll into his changed system took effect (courtesy of his leaves and the fluid exchange with the Mother Tree and Xander).
Spike had rarely turned up for the 'Scoobie' meetings since Winter began – but they were very much a low key affair these days anyway. Xander's disappearance, Giles' then Anya's departure and Willow's interests leaning more toward the coven, saw Buffy becoming used to simply meeting the vampire near his (now Clem's) crypt.
Once Spring came, Spike's changes were fortunately covered somewhat by the lateness of the night patrols with Buffy. Xander knew that though Spike's further shifts were not immediately obvious to the eye at night, in the right light, every curve and sharp feature was now defined by a pretty shade of pale green, his extraordinary cheek bones and toned physique more beautiful than ever.
Ears were still being successfully covered by the "need shearing soon Spike… what's with the sixties look anyway?" hair, and leaves that were concealed - though irritated – by discretely applied bandages. But the compensation was worth every moment of effort it took to cover his alterations as it protected their secret for just a little longer.
It was Tuesday afternoon, the day of the 'revelation' and happily the cemetery had only two visitors all day, so high up in her branches on their one month anniversary of their day in the sun together, Xander and Spike gave in to the joy of taking and being taken, but this time it was for comfort and reassurance as much as lovemaking. Willow and Buffy were due shortly just after sunset.
They climbed down in silence, touching all the way and ending at the Mother Tree's base in yet another passionate kiss. It was going to be a hard night, even Harry had wished them luck as he ensconced himself in the nearby bushes.
Willow was to meet Buffy and Dawn at the cemetery around seven o'clock. Spike posed himself, deliberately leaning against a gravestone some distance from the Mother Tree. If things all went to Hell, he did not want the Slayer or the Witch knowing where she, or his nymph, was.
Xander had agreed to wait until the all clear from Harry before revealing himself – and even then, it would be from behind a group of shrubs, rather than emerging from his tree. The nymph knew the reason.
Xander was such a young nymph and in the eyes of many of his aging peers, very bold and capable. The other solitary fae folk putting his bravery down to a combination of his unusual emergence (being called out by a group of wiccans when still but a new one) and his unexpected, joyous joining with a dark one. Nevertheless, he was still a baby in any of their terms, still weaning from his constant feeding from the Mother Tree.
Xander needed protecting and Harry gathered his forces to do just that. He was no match for the Slayer or the High Wiccan, but faeries could carry their own when it came to distraction and extraction amidst the melee. Though Spike had spoken of a Xander only rescue… Harry had his own designs – there would be no leaving of the fae vampire either… Apart from anything else he and Michael enjoyed the free viewing (in a bold variety of ways!).
With the assistance of two older nymphs resident in Xander's end of the cemetery, he had honed his blending skills and these days really was invisible to the human eye, particularly in the late afternoon or early evening. Nevertheless he was terrified. He couldn't stand the thought that these two humans might hurt his lovely friend. He had felt it. Spike had been tense and worried for days. He kept trying to access his memories from the before and could only come up with some vague images, many of them violent or painful.
He knew the two had been friends from his before, but coupled with the violence he had seen the blonde woman meter out on the local demon community since he emerged, he was terrified for his wonderful changeling Spike.
The closer they got to the agreed location, the more Dawn worried, and as she spotted Spike in his duster, leaning against a gravestone, without Xander, she all but panicked.
Spike flicked his semi-smoked cigarette away from any foliage then pushed up to face the women.
"Slayer, Red… Bit…"
Buffy was initially rather taken aback, but swiftly chose annoyed as her raison d'etre.
"What is it this time Spike? Can't pay your gambling debts and Willy's finally cut you off? Go find someone else to bug Spike. We're here to see someone not patrol..."
Before Buffy could say any more, Dawn blurted out, "Spike needs to be here! He's… umm…" then suddenly lost her nerve.
Buffy rounded on the vampire again, this time with stake in hand, "Spike? What's this about? What have you done? Because I swear Mister! If you've got Dawn in trouble, Mr Pointy here has an appointment in your chest!"
Spike shoved his hands deep in his duster pockets, initially pulling the garment tight around him, swallowing his annoyance, then opening the coat wide exposing his T-shirt clad chest.
"Have at it, Slayer, cause then you'll never get to see him, will ya!"
"See him? See who?" Buffy moved threateningly close, "Spike?… For the retarded vampire in the room… See. Who.?"
Spike did a slow blink then looked directly at Willow, "The boy, I found the boy, but…"
The next three seconds were a blur as Buffy rounded on Spike and threw him to the ground ready to threaten.
Harry let out a yelp as Xander sprang from his hiding place and with a nymph's speed, had thrown off the unsuspecting Slayer, grabbed his partner from the ground, and disappeared high into the canopy of the closest cypress tree.
Buffy was still sitting on the ground where she had unceremoniously landed, while Willow was standing beside Dawn wide eyed.
"I'll kill it! Whatever that was… We need to do some research – that thing…"
Willow cut her off with an almost whispered and very emotional, "…Was Xander… Oh G$ Buffy it was Xander!"
"Willow, let it go that thing had to be a vampire… a demon! You saw the speed, and there is so no way that Xander could ever throw me down like that! Not when I…"
As Buffy bounced to standing ready for the chase (and inevitable fight), Dawn stepped in front of her, arms folded over her chest and a 'resolve face' that would have put Willow to shame.
"You're not going to hurt him… or them… Buffy… you're just not…"
Buffy's fist tightened around the stake as she faced off with Dawn. "Wait a second… So you… you knew? You knew Xander had been turned and you didn't think to… you know mention anything? What is this … love the undead day or what? Dawn he could have…"
"Taceitum!" Willow's eyes flashed black and Buffy was unable to utter another sound. "I'm sorry Buffy but sometimes… that was Xander… and if you move a muscle, I swear…!" Willow's eye's flashed black again and the still silent Buffy slumped against the headstone so recently vacated by Spike.
Willow turned her attentions to Dawn who was panicked and now close to tears, "Sweetie… Dawn?... It was Xander right? You and Spike found Xander."
"Yes but Willow… he's changed… he's… Oh Willow he is so beautiful!"
"Dawnie… How? How is he changed? Goddess Dawn please! He's my oldest friend… We thought he was dead! I need to help him! Dawn! Look at me! What do you know!"
This was not how Dawn had hope the evening would progress and was struggling to think of plausible scenarios that would take the pressure off her two fae friends. Buffy was still looking daggers at Willow and the witch was obviously agitated and angry.
Dawn swallowed hard then almost whispered, "He was taken… taken by a tree. He's a wood nymph Willow – a hamadryad! And he's… he's happy – especially now he and Spike are…"
"Oh Goddess… I knew there was something different..." Willow struck her own forehead with an open hand, "So Sp… and Xan…"
Dawn grinned a little and nodded, "They're… I wanted to tell you but I really didn't know how… and now…? They love each other Willow… they really do."
Buffy snorted with frustration and attempted to add her contempt for the whole idea but was cautioned by a single look from her dangerous wiccan friend.
Xander had taken his friend high into the cypress, Spike not even having time to register the beginning of the act. By the time they were at the top, Xander had divested Spike of most of his clothes and had him plastered against the trunk with his entire body, his panic translating to a limpet like hold on the fae vampire, and instant camouflage. In truth, parts of Spike's pale body were still visible – provided one knew where to look – but for the stunned group below the pair had simply disappeared.
Fifteen minutes passed without a sign of Spike and his "drier thingy… and oh by the way… so not Xander!" before Buffy departed in a huff, vowing to get to the bottom of the whole debacle, and blaming Spike then Dawn in turn.
The Slayer's exit marked Harry's venture down to the two women. He knew witches weren't so bad – as long as they were white ones, but everyone in the fae knew Mistress Willow had a very definite connection with the dark as well as with Mother Earth, so he was cautious.
Willow grabbed Dawn's arm in surprise as the small blue form, that at first sight could have been mistaken for a very large butterfly, alighted on Dawn's shoulder and began to speak to the girl.
"Typical of the thing… the Slayer! Just as well you got her DNA and not her attitude! So… stay there… and, to quote Spike, don't bloody well move! And they might just come back!"
Harry then flew high into the canopy and found the terrified, and mutually over protective pair.
Xander was panicked about Spike, and the vampire (despite his bravado) was rather more frightened for his nymph than he was ready to admit. To the point that it was only Harry's intervention that allowed him to struggle from beneath his lover's protective embrace.
But Harry wasn't finished, and watched as the pair shifted a little, trying to determine their mood. "The witch and that sweet girl are still here – the other one has gone. The witch is crying… and it's about the boy – just thought you should know."
Spike shoved sideways a little, pushing gently against his partner's over protective grasp.
"'S OK Pet… 'S OK…I'm fine… thanks… and… um… Let's just go see Dawnie and Red ehh? C'mon Luv… ol' Harry here's a mite worried… let's us just sort the witch out… She's your ol' mate after all. Remember Red? Willow?… " Spike was still trying to establish just how much of Xander's former life memories were available to the young nymph.
Spike watched as his bewildered partner struggled to match names with images, then took matters into his own hands pushed away and started down the tree… along with Harry, who was not going to be left out(!), the faerie flying to sit on the shoulder of his fae cousin as Xander scrambled down after his partner.
The two women were standing arm in arm when Dawn saw the fae couple descend the tree. Spike heard Dawn's heartbeat increase and smelt Willow's tears the instant Xander stepped from the shadows.
Willow all but fell into Xander's arms, "Ohh Goddess… Xander!"
Spike stepped back and let the witch meet her old friend.
The instant they touched Xander remembered… all of the before that had been so fleeting and had to do with this 'Willow' character was suddenly in sharp relief. She was his childhood friend, a troubled soul after her partner's death, and his compatriot in arms at so many levels.
Willow was holding a hand that was now the temperature of the earth and encircled by leaves, it was still soft to the touch. Xander gave an automatic shiver as a speechless Willow stroked over the pretty leaves and long fingers with their amazingly hard nails.
She finally lifted her tear filled green eyes to meet the chocolate brown she had always known, but now they were framed by tiny green fronds, and the hair that had been brunette was now long and composed of long leaf covered stems.
As their eyes met, Xander simply whispered, "Thanks Wills."
She let more tears fall before answering, "For what? Oh Xander I could have fixed this… I really could! But… Oh Xan! Are you happy?… I mean… Oh Goddess… Xander!"
The nymph looked over to his partner, who simply nodded and stood to take Dawn's hand. They then left the two old friends by themselves. As he looked back he saw the nymph lifting Willow to her feet and leading her to the Mother Tree.
The nymph and the witch talked of the past, and the present and everything in between – including the coincidence of Xander's emergence and Willow's presence on the night.
When Dawn and Spike returned shortly after midnight, Willow was seated against the trunk of the Mother Tree, her changed old friend's head in her lap. Xander had one hand in hers but Spike also noted the other hand was gently stroking the buttress root of his Mother tree. It was healing for the youngster – he could remember his past as well as feeling reassured by her presence.
After Spike leaned down to kiss the boy, Willow stopped his rise and kissed the fae vampire on the cheek.
"He told me Spike. Thank you… He is a lucky m… nymph."
"So'm I Luv… so am I."
Willow left promising to speak to Buffy but was not all that hopeful to garner the Slayer's support of the 'Xander is happy now so leave him alone' theory.
She was right, but for the moment Buffy was busy with school, work and Slayer duties. The respite was welcome.
…………………………….
Giles arrived from England within a week of being told by a tearful Willow, that they had found Xander, and also of his changes. But failed to mention much about Spike, other than he was looking after the new nymph.
Giles arrived in the cemetery with Dawn, somewhere around the same time Willow and Buffy had eight days before, but the meeting went very differently.
This time Spike had made no attempt to conceal his changes, and Dawn wandered off to the mother tree, hopeful that Harry and Michael would be around. The previous evening she had been in fits of giggles with their antics and witty repartee while she waited for Xander and Spike to come down from the tree. She was now sure that the two faeries kissing mid-flight was specifically for her benefit after Harry couldn't help himself and winked at her mid his and Michael's 'spiral of passion' manouver.
The early summer's evening was warm, and as the Watcher approached Spike stepped from the shadows. His wrist leaves were showing and now (like all the others) a deep green, matching Xander's. In all areas – particularly his torso, they had begun to creep across like some form of exquisite ivy. Spike knew that Xander and he were both still warm from a long afternoon lying in the sun, and though he would have refused the meeting with the individual, who had so adamantly insisted on the vampire's evil nature in the past, knew his lover needed this.
Even in the dark Giles noticed the alteration in Spike's color immediately and spotted a few leaves poking out from inside the sleeves of the vampire's duster. It seemed impossible! The fae did not accept demons! He immediately drew his own conclusions. Spike must not only have protected Xander – but at some point Xander's tree also… and then been claimed by them both. Unheard of in any account he had ever read of the fae!
He greeted the fae-vampire politely.
After a courteous reply, and Giles' look of surprise that promised further questions at some point, Giles could no longer hold over fifteen months of worry and grief. "Please Spike… Please! I need to see him… I… heard about Buffy but I won't hurt… You know I … well I… " Giles was noticeably shaking as Spike took a step forward and removed his duster baring his entire torso, leaves and all, then tucked his hair behind his pointed ears.
"Just warnin' you, boy's changed much more 'n me, so you'll need t' be a bit patient…"
Giles' breath hitched and his arms folded around himself protectively. "Oh God… it's… in a strange sort of way I still hoped… Spike… is he?..."
"'S alright Watcher… Boy is well looked after you'll see. 'E's just a bit shy these days is all – an' what with her Ladyship the Slayer gettin' all antsy, reckon 'e's just bidin' 'is time – trying to work out how you fit in 'is memories of the before, seems as that part is still comin' back, him being such a young one."
Giles looked hopeful then rather sad as he steadied himself against a tombstone, "Oh… I see… Well is it possible to reassure him in some way because…"
Before the sentence was finished a stunning green nymph wearing Xander's youthful body, naturally adorned with leaves and bark, stood before him and whispered as loudly as he was able, "Hey."
Despite his support via the headstone Giles' legs gave out and he sank to his knees with his face covered by one hand, "Oh God… Oh…" Finally he looked up at the boy he had seen grow up from awkward teenager to confident adult and his other hand stretched toward the nymph in a begging gesture.
Spike moved toward Xander and held the very young and now bewildered nymph in a reassuring embrace before leading him forward. Like with Willow, as soon as Xander's hand touched the outstretched hand of Giles, the nymph remembered significant things from his before, and rushed forward, kneeling and taking the older man in his arms. Giles gave in to the hug completely and also gave in to his grief at the loss of the man he knew.
"We lost you… I am so sorry… hitched breath we thought you were dead, but now… Oh my dear boy… Xander… My dear boy…"
They held for many minutes until Giles' knees became too stiff to bear and he moved to sit down heavily. Xander sat beside the distraught man and Spike flanked Xander. Xander's fae voice was too quiet for the older man's hearing to pick up, and though Giles could almost make out the words simply by reading the young nymph's lips, he relied on Spike to pass on Xander's thoughts to the man who through high school at least, had acted almost as a father.
"I'm happy Giles… I belong here and I have the Mother to look after and she after me. And now I have a partner too – and Mother Earth herself has approved."
Giles looked over at Spike in amazement as Xander's message was conveyed, "Gaia claimed you? Good God Spike… I thought it was just… so no wonder… that's extraordinary!..."
Spike shrugged,"Yeah well… Focus is the boy though innit…"
Giles shook himself a little, "Of courses, of course!"
Xander and Giles talked through Spike for almost an hour, in the end it was not even necessary for Spike to interpret since the older man and the nymph were now so close together that Xander was all but whispering in Giles' ear.
Much of what was said was simply to reassure the ex-Watcher that Xander was 'OK', though Xander was still a little confused as to why the human kept asking that question.
Relief came when Dawn arrived back to drive Giles home to the Summers' residence.
Giles hugged Xander soundly, then did the same to a rather surprised Spike, before following Dawn back to the car.
Harry and Michael were sitting on a low branch of the Mother tree swinging their legs in time as the nymph and his vampire ("Not anymore!" to quote Harry) arrived home.
Harry piped up just as the two made to climb her, "So all's good then?"
"'Course… why'dya ask?"
"Oh… just… well apparently the Slayer's out to fix your friendly nymph… Now I've seen a local cat get 'fixed', and not that he didn't deserve it, but still… your nymph there needs to watch himself if that's her aim!"
"Too right, but figure you've been in the camellia nectar again if ya think that might be an option! Not that sort of fixin' anyway, ya daft bugger… Slayer just don't like the 'other'. She'll try to reverse the deal – load of rubbish really… even Red knows that… but thanks for the heads up. She starts playin' with majicks and we're all in trouble."
Harry simply nodded then kissed Michael before the two flew off.
That night Willow had a tiny blue visitor, and consequently a ward was put around the tree.